I've always been a LCOL lover for my entire life. Make a decent salary. Have a house way bigger than I ever need with a PITI that is 30% of my take home pay. No state income tax. 5 mile commute to work. Usually home by 5:40 each night.

Always thought I would stay this way.

But I just got contacted by a recruiter for Tesla for what sounds like a very interesting position.

Everything I've ever thought about financial sense tells me to not even bother. That said, I promised the recruiter I would do my homework and think about it. The logical side of me sees living in the bay area as a financial disaster with a stock option lottery ticket you might win. The emotional side of me see even failure as a win to have that sort experence on my resume and the simple fact that plenty of smart people have figured out how to make it make sense.

Did the recruiter say what the salary range is? I would want to know that before having to do any research. If it's anything close to what you make now, I would definitely pass based on what you stated

Figure out how much you would need to live in the Bay Area at your desired standard of living and savings rate. And then ask the recruiter if they can meet that. Btw, CA employers are required to tell you the compensation range for the position if you ask.

Agree with the poster above about work hours. Tesla is notorious for terrible work life balance.

If I were you, I'd stay put. Unless the salary is so much greater that it is basically an offer you cannot refuse, or you hate your job right now, do not leave the good thing you have going right now.

Why?
1) Bay Area.. Beautiful place.. ridiculous cost of living
2) Tesla .. I am an Elon Musk fan, and I hope Tesla goes on to change the world and become the next Apple. However, just like with Apple.. the employees dont have great time of it. They are the ones putting their blood sweat and tears into building the company and the products that change the world. This isn't a bad thing if you feel passionately about that sort of thing. You will happily work the 80 hour weeks to get your chance at putting a "dent in the universe" so to speak.
3) CA State income tax. That right there acts like a break on your ability to accumulate wealth. The more they pay you, the more of it goes into taxes.
4) Tesla .. As far as companies go this one is a wildcard. You could become the next big wig at a Fortune 100 company .. or you could be let go in a round of layoffs as the company enacts "cost cutting measures" during the next downturn. Tesla is particularly susceptible to this with the $7K subsidy expiring this year, and the fact that luxury products such as theirs are the first to get hit in downturns.

There are positions that I had the option to take that I didn't take (different than positions that I didn't get but wanted). Some that I didn't interview for, so who knows whether I would have gotten it or not. I regret not taking at least 2 of them. One I got offered weeks into a new job by a former boss' boss (2 jobs and 6 years prior). During our conversation he expressed regret at the timing giving I was new in my job, and I agreed that I shouldn't consider it. I should have. One other regret was a consulting gig that I worked my butt off to get. I pitched the Chairman and he then had me interview with the President and I got the gig. I showed up on day 1 and was presented with a 3 year non-compete. 3 years for a several month (I expected) consulting gig. I racked my brain and realized that another client had a client who was a competitor (other client was an agency). I stepped out and called that client and asked if they would use me with this competitor to my new client. They said "absolutely". So I declined to sign the non-compete, they refused to waive it despite not doubting my integrity, and I left after recommending a friend. He got a 6 month gig out of it, and given that I was more experienced than he was I probably would have been able to turn it into the CEO role in a few years, as the head of the department did. Big salary, big equity. Oh, and my client with the competitor dropped me in 60 days with only 1 assignment lasting 2 days, and no contact with the competitor. So yes, I do regret not taking jobs. Risk is sometimes good, and I was too risk adverse.

As to moving to a HCOL, run the numbers. To go the Bay Area from many places requires a huge increase in comp. Equity is nice, but a lottery ticket as you note. I got a lead once in the Bay Area, and the recruiter said "Rick, don't consider this, I'm just calling because I don't want you to think I didn't think of you. At this level of comp, you could get a studio for your family with 2 kids, as opposed to that nice house you have in the suburbs". I didn't consider it. My son works outside the Bay Area with a very nice salary for someone just out of grad school, and pays huge taxes and absurd rent. Absurd rent.

I'm just a random person on the internet, but I would not recommend to a close friend/family member to go work for Tesla. I find the entire business model of Telsa extremely shaky. If there is a recession anytime soon, Telsa will likely have trouble selling vehicles, driving cash flow declines. This could lead to many layoffs. The company doesn't have enough money to handle a recession in my estimation. At the very least, think hard about if you are comfortable working for a company with a questionable financial position.

I'm just a random person on the internet, but I would not recommend to a close friend/family member to go work for Tesla. I find the entire business model of Telsa extremely shaky. If there is a recession anytime soon, Telsa will likely have trouble selling vehicles, driving cash flow declines. This could lead to many layoffs. The company doesn't have enough money to handle a recession in my estimation. At the very least, think hard about if you are comfortable working for a company with a questionable financial position.

This was my first thought as well. I would not make a major life move for Tesla.

I've always been a LCOL lover for my entire life. Make a decent salary. Have a house way bigger than I ever need with a PITI that is 30% of my take home pay. No state income tax. 5 mile commute to work. Usually home by 5:40 each night.

Always thought I would stay this way.

But I just got contacted by a recruiter for Tesla for what sounds like a very interesting position.

Everything I've ever thought about financial sense tells me to not even bother. That said, I promised the recruiter I would do my homework and think about it. The logical side of me sees living in the bay area as a financial disaster with a stock option lottery ticket you might win. The emotional side of me see even failure as a win to have that sort experence on my resume and the simple fact that plenty of smart people have figured out how to make it make sense.

Anyone here have thoughts on reconciling these two things?

I would never move to Silicon valley, but for the right price and maintaining my current quality of life I know that isn't possible, so I stay put where I am.
I think you need to go in with an open mind. They haven't yet offered you a position. I do not know how much preparation you need to get to the interview stage and do well. In my profession (software development) for good companies you need several months in before you are ready. If that is the case with your field too, is it worth it putting that much effort just to see what they have to offer?

You would not know until you interview and they get serious about you and start throwing numbers at you. If you are married, would your SO find it easy to get the job?

Just the company itself (Tesla) makes me nervous. The CEO is in news way too much, not always for the right reasons. Some stories about how employees are treated during crunch time makes me think quality of life may be for the worse. Commute is almost guaranteed to be worse than what you have. How much of all that is worth to you? In other words, if someone said I will pay you 100K extra, for 1 hr. of additional commute and 4 hrs of extra work per week would you do it?

I think it depends where you want to end up career wise and how important it is for you. Also your age.

I accepted an offer for a big name and financially, it didn’t make sense as I had to relocate from a LCOL to a HCOL city. However, the move impacted my career tremendously. I’d argue I was able to avoid graduate school because of it and that entry on my resume gave me credibility. It set me apart and I’m where I am today because of it.

I am not as familiar with your industry, how much this would help you, or what you want out of your life.

I will say it never hurts to have a strong resume and higher earning potential. Prefinancial crisis many would have told me my move didn’t matter THAT much but then the crisis happened and now things are different.

I’m a believer in taking risks. Of course relocating with a sick spouse I would require some definite savings but since you’re on this site I would assume you have this. Also depends on your age. These opportunities don’t come around that often and I’ve always gone after every more senior and good opportunity put before me. As a result I have a job where I’m much much younger than many of those in my position and I earn a lot considering my work/life balance. The hard work and risks I took in my 20s paid off tremendously.

I've always been a LCOL lover for my entire life. Make a decent salary. Have a house way bigger than I ever need with a PITI that is 30% of my take home pay. No state income tax. 5 mile commute to work. Usually home by 5:40 each night.

Always thought I would stay this way.

But I just got contacted by a recruiter for Tesla for what sounds like a very interesting position.

Everything I've ever thought about financial sense tells me to not even bother. That said, I promised the recruiter I would do my homework and think about it. The logical side of me sees living in the bay area as a financial disaster with a stock option lottery ticket you might win. The emotional side of me see even failure as a win to have that sort experence on my resume and the simple fact that plenty of smart people have figured out how to make it make sense.

Anyone here have thoughts on reconciling these two things?

I would never move to Silicon valley, but for the right price and maintaining my current quality of life I know that isn't possible, so I stay put where I am.
I think you need to go in with an open mind. They haven't yet offered you a position. I do not know how much preparation you need to get to the interview stage and do well. In my profession (software development) for good companies you need several months in before you are ready. If that is the case with your field too, is it worth it putting that much effort just to see what they have to offer?

You would not know until you interview and they get serious about you and start throwing numbers at you. If you are married, would your SO find it easy to get the job?

Just the company itself (Tesla) makes me nervous. The CEO is in news way too much, not always for the right reasons. Some stories about how employees are treated during crunch time makes me think quality of life may be for the worse. Commute is almost guaranteed to be worse than what you have. How much of all that is worth to you? In other words, if someone said I will pay you 100K extra, for 1 hr. of additional commute and 4 hrs of extra work per week would you do it?

But the job isn’t just about the pay NOW. It also will affect FUTURE earning potential most likely.

I would also avoid Tesla. I have a family member who worked there during one of the XXX (e.g., Production) Hell phases. It was pretty close to hell. Poor pay for the Bay Area with the expectation that you work a lot harder.

I know an engineer who got a job there out of college in 2009, he took a job at another company around 2014 I think.

There was an interesting piece on NPR yesterday about their safety culture of lack of it. Several former employees accused them of doing anything possible to not have recordable incidents including denying or delaying treatment to injured workers. There were other shenanigans such as calling lyfts instead of ambulances.

I have a mix of IT governence and security investigation that lines up nicely with the role plus I come from an Aerospace and Defense background so I guess that gives me a aura of dealing with sensitive matters even though I'm not cleared.. I wish Tesla all the best but I'm not a fan per se, I would like to buy their stuff someday but to me a car or solar panel is a purely utilitarian spreadsheet affair.

I'm more....um....selfish about the role in terms of career growth whether internal or external if I burn out.

You have a classic tension between order and chaos. You're in a great spot; satisfaction oozes from your first paragraph. Yet you're tantalized at facing and conquering some chaotic new situation.

I personally wouldn't do it at Tesla -- there are too many stories of it being a pressure cooker of intense pressure and long hours. Many top execs have left (including a new CFO quitting after a month) and the company is still bleeding cash. Also, depending on your interests and values, the Bay Area can be a huge culture shock.

There are plenty of other startups, though, both in and outside the Bay Area, with potentially better risk/reward. If you're feeling like an adventure, you can explore those opportunities. No need to jump at the first recruiter that calls. ("All recruiters lie" is a common perception among people who work with recruiters).

Mostly chronic pain. No longer term issues just not always able to get out and about. Mostly worried in case we get a place too small and she gets cabin fever.

If you are planning on renting (which you should initially), you can always move later to more spacious accommodations. Have you actually gotten a job offer or are you just at the interview stage? If the latter, then see how you feel about the company after you meet the team. Bring your family with you for 2nd or 3rd round interviews if they are not familiar with the Bay Area. Check previous posts for suggested activities.

1) It has been a long time since I lived there but don't underestimate how bad the traffic can be. Even a seven mile commute can be painful at rush hour. This also means that doing things like going to a movie on a weeknight can be hard to do if you need to go home to pick up your spouse then go out for the evening.

2) Don't expect that any stock incentives will be a grand slam. Telsa stock is priced crazy already so you are late to that party. I don't have a crystal ball but I would suspect that one possible future is that their stock tanks, they get bought out, and most of the employees are laid off.

3) They will likely pay your relocation costs to move there but you are unlikely to live there the rest of your life so sooner or later you will likely have to pay to move somewhere else.

4) I would consider the job assuming that you would change jobs again in maybe 5 years and leave the Bay Area then. The big question is what working there will do to your career and if the experience could bump it up to the next level. The opposite could also be true since you could spend five years working on some specialized subsystem that is not a real marketable skill. I was a software developer and I moved to Silicon Valley right after college. After about six years I was ready to leave and did, but the experience I got there helped me do well in the rest of my career so I have no regrets about having lived there.

A lot depends on your age. If you are in your 20's then it would be appealing. If you are in your 50's then it might also make sense to build up your nest egg and be able to retire early.

Only move if the offer is 2x at the very least. Not even kidding.

2x is probably not enough. Most of the increases would go into paying taxes and high housing costs.

If you get into serious talks with them then do dummy tax returns to see the tax impact. Don't forget sales tax as well.

If you have a higher salary, you can enjoy a higher cost of living. It may go against your inclinations, but if you manage your finances right, the numbers add up the same way, they are just bigger. I would go for it if the salary is reasonable and you are interested in the job.

Seems to me you do not yet have enough information to be able and make an informed decision. You’d need to take the interviewing process far enough that you actually have an offer in hand in order to be able and compare between your current situation and your possible situation at Tesla.

I see a lot of anti HCOL and anti Bay Area sentiment in this thread. And I have no problem with liking or not liking whatever floats your boat. I am definitely not going to try and convince you what you do or do not enjoy. But just want to put in my two cents that for some of us the HCOL Bay Area represents youth culture, technology, and earning opportunity that is simply not offered in many LCOL areas. And yes it costs more for this privilege. I'm not saying that OP or anyone else should believe that for themselves, but there are a lot of people who choose this life because it's best for us. Think and consider how you truly feel about HCOL Bay Area living, don't listen to us doggos on the internet.

Also there seems to possibly be a misunderstanding about how equity works as part of job offers in the Bay Area. A public technology oriented company like Tesla will have three components in their offers for highly compensated roles: base salary, performance bonus, and equity. I'm going to assume base salary and performance bonuses are understood. At a public company like Tesla, they are typically granting equity as Restricted Stock Units (aka RSUs) that vest over a period of time. Standard are four year vests with a cliff one year in and then vest periodically (typically quarterly or monthly) thereafter. While yes the value of these RSUs fluctuate with the public markets they are fully granted stock upon vest. Meaning, yes the value of RSUs can fluctuate with the markets, but you don't stand to make nothing unless the company fails. This is unlike stock options. Stock options are unlikely to be part of your job offer below the C-level suite, you're most likely to be offered RSUs.

I understand that this might be a contrarian opinion to many who have already posted, but I used to be the person across the table. I worked in the HCOL San Francisco Bay Area who was desperately trying to find people qualified to fill high level management, engineering, data science, and research roles. You have a team of recruiters who are trying to find these people for you, and have obscene budgets to convince them to come work for you instead of the other giant HCOL tech company neighbor. This is all just to say "hey maybe the OP should interview and get a job offer in hand so they can evaluate it". I got to make the phone call a dozen times over my career where you call someone up to tell them they are receiving a job offer that will add an extra zero to their income for the next four years if they accept. I have no idea if the OP would possibly be in this situation or not, but hey that possibility can only present itself if you find out what the offer is.

Another item to consider: California healthcare quality is ranked #11 and #1 for public healthcare. Depending on your partner's health situation and where you currently live an increase in quality of healthcare may have a meaningful impact on your lives.

Move the the Bay Area? Sure, just be prepared for the tradeoffs (housing), make sure you're making enough $$ to cover housing + risk premium + actually make it worth the trouble, and take advantage of what the area offers.

But don't do it for Tesla. Tesla isn't just a dumpster fire, it's a train of flaming dumpsters alternating with propane tanks. I have friends who have done projects there, they would rather work literally anywhere else.

Definitely a tough decision in some regards. Given past questions you've asked I wonder if this position could lead to something on SpaceX? That would give you the clearance that has been a stumbling block up to this point and with SpaceX expanding into the DoD realm it would look really, really good on your resume. Honestly I think that would be the only reason to take the job but each person is different.

Is this a software engineering job? You mentioned about how great Tesla would be on your resume experience. I think Google, Apple, Facebook are better resume experience. I would move to Bay area for those bigger tech companies but not for Tesla.

If you are a fan of Tesla, buy their cars. If you are young, less than 35, then maybe worth moving to Bay Area.
older than 35, stay away from Bay Area and enjoy your relax low stress work in a LCOL.

Work-life balance will be a big risk. Financial compensation would have to be enough that 2-3 years working there and then returning to your old home/job-type would be worthwhile, along with the experience. I don't consider this a stock-option lottery; they are not a start-up anymore so I would just take the equity portion of their offer and consider it a part of my salary, with a >25% knockdown due to risk.

I would keep your house and rent it out then rent in the bay until you figure out how you feel about everything.

My friend is a doctor, who works in a hospital near Tesla's office. She noticed that most Tesla employees who came to their clinic look miserable and stressed out. On the other hands, google and netflix employees seem happy.

I was contacted by a Tesla recruiter years ago and ended up speaking with the hiring manager a day or two later. I could hear his exhaustion clearly on the phone. I told the recruiter thanks but no thanks the next day.

I've always been a LCOL lover for my entire life. Make a decent salary. Have a house way bigger than I ever need with a PITI that is 30% of my take home pay. No state income tax. 5 mile commute to work. Usually home by 5:40 each night.

I am in California, but not the bay area. It is 5:30 as I type this. I consider it a better use of my time to hang out online than to drive home in this traffic. If I leave right now, I will be home by 6:30. I don't live all that far from work.

If the "home by 5:40" part is important to you, the Bay Area is probably not for you.

Full disclosure: I view it as likely I won't be living in California in three years' time.

"What was true then is true now. Have a plan. Stick to it." -- XXXX, _Layer Cake_

I've always been a LCOL lover for my entire life. Make a decent salary. Have a house way bigger than I ever need with a PITI that is 30% of my take home pay. No state income tax. 5 mile commute to work. Usually home by 5:40 each night.

I am in California, but not the bay area. It is 5:30 as I type this. I consider it a better use of my time to hang out online than to drive home in this traffic. If I leave right now, I will be home by 6:30. I don't live all that far from work.

If the "home by 5:40" part is important to you, the Bay Area is probably not for you.

Full disclosure: I view it as likely I won't be living in California in three years' time.

Given the information, I think OP is in a better situation where he is at now.

I work in Fremont and commute about 15 miles. Takes me over an hour to get home and that is leaving at 4pm. Been here my entire life but I don't see us living here in 3 years time either. Cost of living and traffic being the top reasons.

Head, heart, gut. You are a lucky person if you can get all three to agree. Every person's weighting among the three is different. I've backed out of job offers for each of the three. The gut one was very interesting.

Does it make sense financially and for your desired lifestyle?
Will you be spiritually satisfied with your career there?
Does it make you feel nervous in a good way, or a bad way?

It can't hurt to look into things further.

The auto industry is famously cyclical. I don't see why Tesla would be any different. Just know that going in. Depending on what you would be doing at Tesla, at least there are many more jobs in the area, should a layoff occur. It would probably not look too bad on your resume either, great topic of discussion in any future interview.

"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness." -- Albert Einstein, just before he won the Nobel Prize.

If you are ambitious I would give it serious consideration. I don't work at Tesla but know them well - the company is full of rock stars. Having said that, it's a tough place and turnover is high. I would regret not at least understanding the economics, the culture and the career opportunity - the world is full of people who are 'content' in their jobs but not fulfilled.